21 Months Old

   Today Rylee Love is 21 months old! I cannot believe my baby will be 2 in 3 short months! It doesn't seem real. Time surely does fly!

     So let's see... Rylee has 18 teeth. I measured her at home today, and she was 23.8 lbs and 33.5 inches tall. That would put her in the 20th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. She's getting much better about eating and drinking. She's still pretty picky, but when you find something she likes, she will PIG OUT! She loves to eat. I hope soon she will start being more open to trying new foods, but for now I'm happy that she's eating and gaining weight. She's also been drinking better. The weather has been very warm, so maybe that has something to do with it, but I also switched her sippys from Nuby Soft Spouts to Nuk Active Cups. They are a lot easier to drink from, and since I bought them she's averaged about 15-20 oz per day. Before we were lucky to get 8-10 oz. Major progress!

     She's moving into size 2T clothes, the pants are a little big around, but the length is perfect! She's at a transition point where she wears both size 5 and size 6 shoes. She's also transitioning from size 4 diapers to size 2T-3T Pull-Ups! This past week we started to try to ease into potty training. She doesn't quite understand it yet, but we don't really force the issue. We sit her on her potty a couple times per day and see what happens. She's gone in her potty about 5 times in the last 10 days. Then yesterday she went in her potty twice in a row with a dry diaper in between, so we're definitely making some progress. But I'm not that worried about it just yet, I'm just trying to introduce her to the concept. My goal is to have her pretty much fully potty trained by August. We'll see...

    Her personality shines more and more each day. She is such a goof. She loves to laugh and play and rough-house! She is also such a smarty pants! She is starting to learn to sing the ABC song and she knows how to say 1, 2, 3. She also has a HUGE vocabulary. She talks more every single day. I can't believe how much she has to say. She is definitely not a baby anymore! But I love my little girl and am thrilled to see the little person she is growing into!

Another Week Down and St. Patrick's Day

      This week has been L-O-N-G and exhausting. The time changed last weekend, so I felt off all week. I'm up walking around and talking a lot more while teaching at this placement and that wears me out, too. By the end of each day, my voice is weak, but it always comes back strong the next day. I do enjoy it though. I was afraid at first because it was just so different from my last placement, but I really enjoy my time at school and love teaching these crazy kiddos.

     Liz was on Spring break this week, so Wednesday, Rylee got to go spend the day with her and Kade. She had a blast playing outside all day with him. Then Friday night, I kept Kade so Liz and Brandon could go out to eat, and we had a blast. Those two kiddos just love spending time together. They really keep each other entertained.

      Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and it was a beautiful Saturday. Of course, I had to get some cutesy pictures of Ryles for the holiday. She is just so easy to take pictures of. I love to capture her expressions because I want to savor every moment of her childhood. After I took some pictures of her, we headed to Nonna's and Granddaddy's to spend the day outdoors. We took a walk and rode the four-wheeler, and Rylee swung on her swing. Last night we ordered pizza and spent the night in as a family.

      Rylee is changing so quickly. This week she mastered climbing up, sitting down, and going down the slide by herself. Before she would climb up and stand waiting for someone to sit her down so she could slide. She also has learned to answer when someone asks her her name. She says "I Rylee!" :) It's too cute. She is talking so much. Today in church she made a dirty diaper and as soon as she did it she said, "Uh-oh! What's that? It's poop?" And she wouldn't stop saying that until I took her to the back to change her diaper. It was a bit embarrassing, but also pretty hilarious! She also learned how to say Brandon this week. :) I love how verbal she is, even when she's a bit inappropriate. Haha!

     Tomorrow is Liz's 27th birthday! Today, after church, we went out to lunch to celebrate. Going out to eat with Rylee and Kade is always interesting, but we had a good time. I am so thankful for a sister like her! Happy birthday, girl! :)

"I think I can; I think I can!"

      This week was pretty good, but I have got Spring fever something terrible! I am so ready for Spring Break and graduation!! I am getting into routine at my new school; it is just a lot of work to teach first grade! I am hoping that I get a job in Kindergarten. I just loved it when I was there! I am enjoying my time at Atoka, too. I am just ready to be done with student teaching and anxious to know what my future career has in store for me!

      Yesterday, Liz and I went shopping! She is on Spring Break this coming week. I'm pretty jealous and sad that we don't have break together, but summer break will be here soon and we'll get lots of time together! I also ordered Rylee's second birthday party decor yesterday. I know it is a bit early, but I was really excited about the theme I found and I wanted to go ahead and get it so I can make sure everything is coordinated. I can't believe I'm planning a second birthday party, but I love my little toddler so!

     This week it seems Rylee has gone through some sort of language growth spurt. She has been talking more frequently and much more clearly. It amazes me how much she talks and how much I can understand what she is saying. Very little of what she says these days sounds like gibberish to me. I often notice her speaking in full, 5-7 word sentences. She just blows me away. A few days this week Granny kept baby Jenna and Rylee got to see her for the short time that she stays with Granny in the afternoons. She was so sweet with her. She would give her toys to play with and rock her little bouncer for her. It really melts my heart to see her be so kind. Yesterday, she was playing with her daddy and he fell off the bed. She climbed down as quickly as she could, patted his back, and asked if he was okay. The she gave him and hug and a kiss and told him "all better!" She is such a sweetheart!

     This morning we went to church. Before church, Rylee pointed to my camera and said "pictures" so I took her outside and took some pictures of her while she was playing and posing for me. She is so funny. I enjoy being her mommy so very much. Now both Ryan and Rylee are napping, and the apartment is so quiet. I used to love being by myself and would do anything for some quiet alone time, but these days, I know I am blessed to have such an amazing family to fill the silence. MY heart is full and happy and I know I will make it through school no problem with the support of the people I love!

Here We Go Again...

      This week has been a week of adjusting. I don't like change. I was comfortable where I was, so this week has been a little challenging for me. I love Atoka Elementary, my new CT, and my new class. Everything is really great there, I am just not adjusting as quickly as I need to. I start teaching half the subjects tomorrow and everything the following Monday. I need to get the hang of things very quickly!

     Yesterday we went to Dyersburg and just played around a little. We are on a tight budget right now, so we thought going to the arcade for a little while would be a good cheap way to spend the afternoon. We let Rylee ride a few little 50-cent rides they have around the mall and then we went to the arcade and she played games with her daddy and I. She really enjoyed herself, so I'm glad we went.

      2 months from tomorrow I graduate from U of M! I am so ready for summer when I can spend every single day with this beauty! She is growing so very quickly. The picture on the right was taken around this time last year. She has grown so much in only a year's time. I still see her as that little monkey-baby on the right, but she sure has grown into a little lady on me! She's talking and playing and doing more things independently everyday. She is so well-behaved and sweet. I love my gorgeous girl!